Stevia - Your New Best Friend!

For me, the hardest part of adhering to the Candida diet was giving up sweets. I was thrilled when my mom told me about Stevia, an herb which is used as a sweetener. It can be purchased in liquid or powder form (I use powder) and has limitless uses. You can read more about Stevia here. I use it to sweeten up my buckwheat breakfast cereal. You could also make homeade lemonade/limeade and sweeten any dessert type recipes you might be fortunate enough to stumble across. 

The only downside of Stevie is the cost.  Expect to pay anywhere from $10.00 - $14.00 for a 4 oz. bottle. (Whole Foods recently had these on sale for 9.99 so I bit the bullet and bought two.) On the upside, Stevia is extremely potent so very little is required to achieve sweetness.  And frankly, to me it's worth the money to not feel completely deprived and restricted.  :)

Breakthrough Buckwheat Breakfast!!

Ok, maybe breakthrough is a bit of an exaggeration, but I have discovered a new breakfast option I’m excited to share. I found this Creamy Buckwheat Cereal at Whole Foods and thought it would be a great alternative to oatmeal.

I fixed it with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, Stevia and coconut milk. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Well, it really wasn’t and I was disappointed. I let the cereal sit in the cupboard for a week and thought about what else I could do with it. I had my breakthrough this afternoon as I was making Bri’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The peanut butter smelled sooo good and I did a bad thing…I cheated on my diet. I ate a whole, heaping spoonful of peanut butter (peanuts are not allowed because they usually have mold on them. Not helpful when on an antifungal diet). So then I did another bad thing…I fixed a bowl of creamy buckwheat cereal and mixed in another heaping spoonful of peanut butter and some Stevia. WOW and YUM!!! It tasted like I was eating a peanut butter cookie. So, I figure if I use cashew or almond butter instead of peanut butter, it will still be super yummy and kosher for the diet. Here's what you need:

• ¼ cup of Creamy Buckwheat Cereal
• ¾ cup of coconut milk (unsweetened)
• 1 large spoonful of cashew/almond butter
• Sprinkle of Stevia

Mix well and enjoy!

Minestrone Soup - Candida Style!

I’ve decided to start a blog posting recipes that fit in with my Candida diet. Most people have never heard of Candida, so here is a definition in a nutshell. Anyway, when I first realized I had Candida, it required a complete change in the way I ate. No more starches , processed foods, no sugar in ANY FORM, etc. It is easier to list what I can eat than what I can’t eat. Basically I can consume meat, veggies and some complex carbohydrates like rice and barley. I can also eat grains no one has ever heard of like buckwheat, amaranth, and the like. I was seriously depressed for quite some time because I was hungry and had no idea what to make that I could actually eat. But with the help of my Mom, my sweet friend Carmen, and lots of experimenting, I have a pretty broad range of recipes to choose from. So in case anyone else with Candida ever stumbles across my blog, maybe they can benefit from some of the recipes I’ve collected.

So all that to say, I threw this soup together last week when we all wanted something warm, satisfying and comforting. It turned out delicious! All of the ingredients are Candida friendly except the potatoes. Those can easily be eliminated and the soup is still tasty and, most importantly, FILLING!

Ingredients

• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can Italian diced tomatoes
• ½ cup rice or barley
• ½ cup lentils
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 lb. sautéed sausage
• 2 tsp. thyme
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Simmer all ingredients until veggies, rice and lentils are soft. Enjoy!!